Carbonated water bottle filler



April 26, 1938.

R. J. DOWLING ET AL CARBONATED WATER BOTTLE FILLER Filed July 10, 1936 Reginald J Dowli 9 Charles D. D v @"aMKY idson Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES CARBONATED WATER BOTTLE FILLER Reginald J. Dowling and Charles D. Davidson, Seattle, Wash.

Application July 10, 1936, Serial No. 89,958

'7 Claims.

Our invention pertains to carbonated water bottle fillers, and in particular to the type which can be attached to the edge of a table, a wall bracket, or the like, and need not be provided with the usual heavy stand or base which is characteristic of the fioor type.

Carbonated water is largely dispensed in socalled siphon bottles. The actual cost of carbonating and refilling such bottles is negligible, but because the equipment for so doing, heretofore available, has been large and expensive, hence has only been installed in plants filling bottles in large numbers, it has been necessary to charge considerable amounts for each bottleful. The cost of collecting and redistributing the bottles controlledthe cost thereof. Nevertheless, many neighborhood stores, such as drug stores, have carbonating equipment in connection with soda fountains, and can recharge and refill such bottles at small cost (since no collection and redistribution is necessary) if equipment is available suitable to their needs. Generally speaking, our object is to provide equipment suitable to such needs, to the end that the price of the charged water to the consumer may be lessened.

Such a filler should be adapted to be quickly mounted for use or removed for storage, and should also be of small size and compactly built so that it may be stored in a small space. Although our machine is not at all cumbersome, it is nevertheless of rugged construction. Having few parts, however, it is economical to produce and will not readily get out of order.

Another object of our invention is to provide a carbonated water bottle filler which will protect the operator from being injured by flying glass in case the bottle being filled should break. The charged water is forced into the bottle under a considerable pressure, and if this pressure hecomes sufiiciently great the bottle will burst, and the pressure created will shatter the glass, driving it with considerable force.

To assist the operator it is a further object of .45 our invention to provide mechanism for automatically maintaining a bottle in filling position, so that he can direct his entire attention to the filling operation, or may leave the machine without first removing the bottle from filling position.

Still a further object of our invention is to provide a filling machine which will accommodate carbonated water bottles having heads varying somewhat in size and shape without having to make anyadjustments in the machine. To

adapt the machine for the reception of bottles having heads of widely different size or shape we provide regulating mechanism.

Other objects, and more particularly those which inhere in the simple though efiicient construction which we employ, will appear from a study of the drawing and the ensuing description.

Our invention, then, relates to a carbonated water bottle filler, having among others the above mentioned advantages, an efficient, convenient and operative form of which is illustrated in the drawing and described hereafter in the specification. While this form shown and described is the one which we now prefer it will be understood that various changes in detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, as pointed out more particularly in the claims appended to this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation view of our device, showing a bottle in operative position and partly filled, but with the protective cage shown in inoperative position for better revelation of the parts.

Figure 2 is another elevation View taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Our device is of the bracket type which may be attached to a table, a wall or any similar structure. Upon the bracket 1 is mounted a filling faucet 2, which is spaced above the bracket a distance sufiicient to receive therebetween the head 3 of a bottle B.

The bottle is supported from the bracket 1 chiefly through the medium of a block 4, which is formed to engage the solid end of the bottle head. This block is provided with some convenient means to raise and lower it so that the spout of the bottle 30 may be forced up intoengagement with the faucet 2. Lifting means, which are simple and which we have found to be efficient for our purpose, may consist of a rod 40 which projects through and is guided by a hole extending through the bracket I. The upper end of this rod is received in a recess 4! formed in the block 4. To move this rod lengthwise I may provide a manually operated lever 42, having a suitable handle, which is journaled in the bracket upon a pivot bolt 43, extending transversely of the rod 40. On the pivoted end of this lever is formed an eccentric cam surface 44 which engages the lower end of the rod. Upward movement of the lever 42 causes this cam to rotate in a direction to raise the rod, which in turn will lift the block 4 and the bottle head 3 supported thereby to'engage the spout 30 with the faucet 2.

' It is very desirable that the operator befree to accomplish the filling operation without having his mind distracted by having to hold the bottle in place; Furthermore, it is desirable that the operator be at liberty'to leave the machine temporarily to attend to other work. ,A machine of this type, for example, may be employed at a soda fountain orin a drug store. The operator in his spare moments or upon order may fill. carbonated water bottles, and with a device which locks or maintains the'bottle in place he may leave the machine at any stage of the filling opposition, wherein the spout is held in engage- 'ment with the faucet 2, and the parts will be maintained thus disposed automatically,against the force of gravity or weight of the bottle, the block 4 and the rod 30, and also against the pressurecexerted by the head 3' against the block 4, in reaction to the pressure of the spout 30 against the faucet 2. V

always of the same size or shape. For small variations in dimensions we provide an automatic adjustment. The travel of the rod 40 vertically is uniform for all bottle engaging operations. In positioning bottles of different'sizes, however, the block 4, may be required to move varying distances to accommodate, such bottles. To permit such movement of the block 4 we may interpose a spring 46 between the'upper end of the rod 40 and the bottom of the recess 4!. As the movement of the block 4 is required to vary,

when the rod 4E1is in the upper position, the spring 46 will-.be increased or decreased in length. In every case, however, this 7 spring will insure: a sufiicient pressure of the spout, 370 against the nozzle of the faucet 2 to provide a leak-proof connection. V

For larger variations in bottle top size and shape it may be necessary to adjust either the height. or the lateral position of the faucet 2. The height may be adjusted by raising or lowering the faucet supporting column 20 which is guided in the bracket land secured thereto by any convenient means such as a set screw 2!. Rotation of this column will cause the faucet to swing to any desired lateral position through an V in every horizontal direction, With such adjust. .65.

whichis supported upon an arm 50 inclined up'-. wardly fromancl fixedly secured to the bracket I.

unlimited are.

To change the radius of swing of the faucet theset screw 22 may be loosened and the horizontal carbonated water supply pipe 23, actingas a supporting member, may then be slid in or out of the column 20 T, as desired, and

secured in the. new position. The faucet is thus given universal movement, both vertically, and

ment the machine; may be set to accommodate bottles having heads of any size and shape within awiderange.

' When-a bottle B to be filled is to be put in place the lever 42 will be in the down. position. The bottle head 3 will then be 'set on the block. 4,

with the bottle bodylying in a cradleinember 5 This ea-rm lies in a vertical plane except for its upper-end; which is twisted into a plane normal The tops of carbonated water bottles are not thereto to receive the cradle. The levero42 is then raised, to raise the block 4 for lifting the bottle head to engage the spout 30 with the f faucet.

Before the filling operation can be started the.

lever B, pivoted on the arm 50, must be turned to depress the handle 3| of the soda water bottle,

.so that the valve in the head will be opened to establish communication between thespout 30 and the tube 3-2 extending down into, the bottle.

with the spout 30 either the carbonated water. if

pply pipe 23 or a pressure relief or shifter p pe 25.

ing operation. Occasionally such pressures will cause a bottle to burst, and it 'is thereforede sirable to provide means to protect the operator from flying glass. For this purpose we provide a cage! which is constructed'as a single piece, Several elements may be joinedto make such a cage, of course, such as thecylindrical body, an; insert 10 made of screen, material, and a circular end. Upon completion, however,'the wholestru.c ture will constituteiasinglepiece, having no hinges or clasps which might be subiectito fail! 7 ure. Thus when the cage is inserted over the bottle B and the arni 50 ,'as shown in dottedline; in Figure 1, a bursting bottle will be confined positively, since thereare no catches or thelike, which might spring open.

In inoperative position. the protectivegcage' l.

hangs downward outof the Way, supported by a ring H which slidesl'over the arm 50and may en;

The ring is sufficientlylarge so that, it will, not unduly hamper movement of the cage lengthwise l5 Considerable pressures aregenerated in cari bonated water bottles, especially during the fil1- of the arm, and the arm, it will be noted, terminates adjacent to the'bottom of the bottle,,.so

that lateral movement of the cage is not; restricted when its open; end has passedbeyond; the bottle.

, v a r 50 The described structure does? nothold the cage rigidlyin. place, so that in casethe-bottle breaks,

the pressuregenerated will tend to. lift the cage upwardly, the ring 5] permitting limited moves ment thereof outward. toward the end of the-arm 50;. Since suchmovementwilli considerably cushion the bursting forcelwithin the cage, the ex plosionwill' have less'tendency to rupture it. ,The outward movementiof the cage 'willrbe stopped by its interconnection'with the'arm through; the ring H, which cannot slide past the cradle. 5,.

Thus while 7 the peak stress on the. ca ewil1-,-:be greatly diminishedand its. protective qualitywill V g i V be increased correspondingly, the cage; itself ,with the. glass pieces fromthe bottle contained therein,

can not be hurled. from the machine :to; inflict injury.

What we claimasour inventionfis':

1. A carbonated water' bottle 7 filler comprising a bracket adaptedto 'be mounted on a tablnbl the like, a filling faucetheld-in position definitely spaced thereabove, an upwardly inclined arm fixed to the bracket, adapted to support the body of the bottle, a block to engage the head of a carbonated water bottle, means guided by said bracket, supporting said block and operable to raise it, for raising the bottle head engaged thereby into operative engagement with the filling faucet, means cooperating with said first means to maintain such means automatically in position to hold the bottle in its upper, faucet-engaged position against the force of gravity and the pressure of the bottle head, and a lever pivoted on said fixed arm and engageable with the valve handle on the bottle head to depress the same only after said bottle head has been fully raised to its upper position by said cam lever.

2. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket adapted to be mounted on a table or the like, a filling faucet held in position definitely spaced thereabove, an upwardly inclined arm fixed to the bracket, adapted to support the body of a bottle, an upright rod extending through and guided in said bracket for lengthwise movement, a block carried by the upper end of said rod above said bracket to engage the head of a carbonated water bottle, a, hand lever journaled in said bracket upon an axis disposed transversely of said rod and directly in line therewith, having an eccentric cam formed on its journaled end to engage the lower end of said rod, by swinging of the lever to raise or to lower said rod, and in turn said block and the bottle head engaged thereby, said cam being formed to maintain the rod and lever in their upper positions against the force of gravity and the pressure of the bottle head, and a lever pivoted on said fixed arm and engageable with the valve handle on the bottle head to depress the same only after said bottle head has been fully raised to its upper position by said cam lever.

3. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket adapted to be mounted on a table or the like, a filling faucet held in position definitely spaced thereabove, and upwardly inclined arm fixed to the bracket, adapted to support the body of a bottle, an upright rod extending through and guided in said bracket for lengthwise movement, a block carried by the upper end of said rod above said bracket to engage the head of a carbonated water bottle, a hand lever journaled in said bracket upon an axis disposed transversely of said rod and directly in line therewith, having an eccentric cam formed on its journaled end to engage the lower end of said rod, by swinging of the lever to raise or to lower said rod, and in turn said block and the bottle head engaged thereby, said cam being formed to maintain the rod and lever in their upper positions against the force of gravity and the pressure of the bottle head, yieldable means incorporated in said rod between said cam and said block, to accommodate the displacement of the block to receive bottle heads of different sizes between it and said faucet, for unvarying movements of said rod and lever, and means to adjust the position of said filling faucet transversely in any direction or vertically to accommodate between it and the block bottle heads varying greatly in size and shape.

4. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket, an upwardly inclined arm fixed to said bracket, adapted to support the body of a bottle, a single piece protective cage of a size to enclose both said arm and a bottle disposed adjacent thereto, stop means secured to said arm, and means connected to said cage and engageable with said stop means, to limit upward movement of the cage along the arm.

5. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket, an upwardly inclined arm fixed to said bracket, adapted to support the body of a bottle, a single piece protective cage of a size toenclose both said arm and a bottle disposed adjacent thereto, a supporting member secured to said cage and encircling said arm to slide upward thereon for insertion of said cage over the arm and bottle or for removal therefrom, and slidable down said arm for movement of said cage downward over the arm and bottle to cover them, or to support said cage hanging downward below said arm when in inoperative position, and stop means on said arm for engagement with said cage supporting member to limit both upward and downward movement of the cage along the arm.

6. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket, a flat, upwardly inclined arm fixed thereto to lie in a vertical plane, and having its outer end twisted to lie normal to such vertical plane, a cradle member secured to the outer end of said arm to support the body of a bottle, a protective cage to enclose both said arm and. a bottle disposed adjacent thereto, and a supporting ring secured to said cage and encircling said arm, of a size insufiicient to pass over said cradle, but sufiiciently large to slide freely along said arm, and said arm having a notch cut in the side thereof to receive said ring for supporting said cage in inoperative position hanging below said arm.

'7. A carbonated water bottle filler, comprising a bracket, an upwardly inclined arm fixed thereto, a transverse member secured to the outer end of said arm, a protective cage to enclose both said arm and a bottle disposed adjacent thereto, a supporting member secured to said cage and encircling said arm, of a size insuflicient to pass over said transverse member, but sufliciently large to slide freely along said arm, and means on said arm engageable with said supporting member to limit movement thereof downward along said arm.

REGINALD J. DOWLING. CHARLES D. DAVIDSON. 

